GDT Penguins at Sabres, 7pm, MSG & Free Game on NHL.tv

[North Buffalo]

They are not playing badly except for the brain farts that end up in the back of the net and they cannot buy a goal. Not sure what the infection is, but jeez its bad...  thinking its ICU protocol... thinking they are working so hard on structure than are not playing offense naturally... Once they figure it out and it becomes rote, this swoon will pass, but man is it painful.  

Edited December 2, 2017 by North Buffalo

[Claude Balls]

I have been following this team since 1975, ok not always real closely all those years but enough to know how they were playing.

This is without a doubt historically the worst Sabres team in my 42 years of following this team.

This is the bottom as far as I am concerned.

Right about the same time I started really getting into hockey and following the Sabres. And you are right, this is absolutely the most pathetic team I have witnessed. Never thought they could be this bad.

[pi2000]

They are not playing badly except for the brain farts that end up in the back of the net and they cannot buy a goal. Not sure what the infection is, but jeez its bad... thinking its ICU protocol... thinking they are working so hard on structure than are not playing offense naturally... Once they figure it out and it becomes rote, this swoon will pass, but man is it painful.

"They are not playing badly".... what games are you watching? Last in goals for, last in goals against. Boring uninspired hockey. At least under Bylsma you had a #1 ranked PP unit, and Eichel humming along at nearly a point per game, 16th in the league, all on a bum ankle. Through 26 games this season he has 1 point on the power play... that's a coaching issue.

[Kruppstahl]

OMG look at Eichel's face as he leaves the lockerroom.

Just re-wound the DVR (LOL; no winding going on but what the hell) to see what you were referencing.

Wow; he looked like a combination of nauseas, hungover, demoralized, and dejected. 

"They are not playing badly".... what games are you watching? Last in goals for, last in goals against. Boring uninspired hockey. At least under Bylsma you had a #1 ranked PP unit, and Eichel humming along at nearly a point per game, 16th in the league, all on a bum ankle. Through 26 games this season he has 1 point on the power play... that's a coaching issue.

 Bylsma was F-ing horrible and a terrible hire.

 

I do not think Housley is working out either and this group definitely needs a more veteran HC.

 

But this team is broken and it all has to fall on the players right now.  They just aren't interested in playing hockey.

 

Thank you, CBA, and the advent of guaranteed contracts in hockey!

 

A lot of these guys should simply be released from the team right now; in turn, the fear of that should make a lot of them actually care about playing hockey.  

 

As it is, we get this .

 

It's frustrating right now b/c it feels like nothing is being done on an organizational level...but this is not the right time to shake things up.

 

The day of reckoning is coming.  I'm thinking some time in January and certainly moreso at the trade deadline in February...bodies are going to be shipped out of here, and I don't just mean Kane.

[North Buffalo]

"They are not playing badly".... what games are you watching? Last in goals for, last in goals against. Boring uninspired hockey. At least under Bylsma you had a #1 ranked PP unit, and Eichel humming along at nearly a point per game, 16th in the league, all on a bum ankle. Through 26 games this season he has 1 point on the power play... that's a coaching issue.

Goaltending looks awful, but sustaining pressure in offensive zone seems decent.  Agreed they are missing something, but didn't look like they were sleep walking, just inept at times and again they have these glaring mental lapses that end up in the back of the net.  Not sure they have enough of  the players on offense that can play the type of game Housley wants them to play.  Gonna need to find guys that have more pace and skill.  Beulieu needs to sit, have Falk play in his place.  The lines don't seem to mesh well... think it is time to trade Kane and get some guys who can skate while handling the biscuit.  Their passes are off too much.

[Drunkard]

IF?!?! Man... I even put it in the thread title for you. :wallbash: :w00t:

Poor wording on my part. I saw it in the title and meant it more like an if/then statement. I definitely appreciate the heads up on stuff like that so thanks.

 

That being said though I only watched about 8 minutes total of the game. Tuned in late when we were already down 2-0 and watched Pittsburgh score the wrap around that put us down 3 nothing.

 

I saw Nolan giving effort and Reinhart try to score from his knees. Other than that almost nothing positive. Pittsburgh swarmed them like wasps and basically controlled the puck at will 90% of the time. Our guys wilted under the pressure. I switched out to Hulu at intermission and didn't switch back. I don't regret it one bit.

 

This team lacks everything. No heart, no grit, no direction, no leadership. Something needs to change.

[Thorner]

That's the bit about Harrington that I really hate. He's like Wormtongue. Why tell him that? What place does that have in a post game, locker room interview?!

 

Your job there is to just talk hockey, douche!

 

 

I agree.

 

https://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/25237-phil-housley-your-feelings-after-preseason/?do=findComment&comment=981222

 

 

This was rather prophetic.

 

"They are not playing badly".... what games are you watching? Last in goals for, last in goals against. Boring uninspired hockey. At least under Bylsma you had a #1 ranked PP unit, and Eichel humming along at nearly a point per game, 16th in the league, all on a bum ankle. Through 26 games this season he has 1 point on the power play... that's a coaching issue.

The Eichel stat is telling.

 

I'm not saying we necessarily know what's Jack's feelings about either coach are, but imagine the internal "oh, sh*t..." going on in Jack's mind this year if he spoke against Bylsma in exit interviews or whenever, and the guy they get in next (Housley) isn't meshing with Jack in an even worse way. I'm not saying that's happening, but to me it's plausible.

[nucci]

I don't know.  They all made it this far on instinct and processing the play.  I feel like the concept of hockey IQ is overrated.  Sam had it in droves.  Until he is not fine anymore.  And noone claimed Jack didn't have it.  Until he doesn't have it.  Meanwhile, guys like Evander Kane that supposedly don't have any hockey IQ continues to show up Our Savior. 

Yes it is...not even sure what that means

[Radar]

Right about the same time I started really getting into hockey and following the Sabres. And you are right, this is absolutely the most pathetic team I have witnessed. Never thought they could be this bad.

Following them from inception and say Amen to this. It is the worst hockey to watch overall.

[Stoner]

Just re-wound the DVR (LOL; no winding going on but what the hell) to see what you were referencing.

Wow; he looked like a combination of nauseas, hungover, demoralized, and dejected.

Well said. Someone asked for a screenshot, and I didn't do it (frankly, too much work to take a pic of my TV screen). I thought my comment was enough and a pic would be piling on. But in looking back at it, I almost think there might be something going on in his life. Hope everyone's OK. Some things are more important than hockey. (duh.)

[LTS]

Poor wording on my part. I saw it in the title and meant it more like an if/then statement. I definitely appreciate the heads up on stuff like that so thanks.

 

That being said though I only watched about 8 minutes total of the game. Tuned in late when we were already down 2-0 and watched Pittsburgh score the wrap around that put us down 3 nothing.

 

I saw Nolan giving effort and Reinhart try to score from his knees. Other than that almost nothing positive. Pittsburgh swarmed them like wasps and basically controlled the puck at will 90% of the time. Our guys wilted under the pressure. I switched out to Hulu at intermission and didn't switch back. I don't regret it one bit.

 

This team lacks everything. No heart, no grit, no direction, no leadership. Something needs to change.

 

No worries... just having some fun.

 

The repeal of Net Neutrality will have no impact to Sabres fans it would seem.

 

One last thing.. Kane should be fined stiffly for that shot on Rust's head last night.  That was pure garbage.

[inkman]

No worries... just having some fun.

 

The repeal of Net Neutrality will have no impact to Sabres fans it would seem.

 

One last thing.. Kane should be fined stiffly for that shot on Rust's head last night. That was pure garbage.

Eh it's the NHL, just boys being boys ;)

[Taro T]

Wifey had another commitment for last night, so we StubHubbed our seats & I watched HS hockey instead. Picked a good one for the 1st game to Stub Hub.